1,000 new trees form species-rich hedgerow set to boost biodiversity

More than one thousand saplings have been planted at the CoFarm Cambridge site on Barnwell Road with help from volunteers and sponsors. The saplings will grow to form a hedgerow around the perimeter of the fenced market garden within the seven-acre Cambridge city plot. 

The species-rich hedgerow will act to boost biodiversity within the farm, as well as provide a natural windbreak and prevent soil erosion. 

Different varieties of trees, including blackthorn, hawthorn, hornbeam, beech and crab apple, were planted around the 360-metre fence perimeter by CoFarm volunteers in December. 

TCV – The Conservation Volunteers donated 950 trees, as part of its ‘I Dig Trees’ programme in partnership with Ovo Energy, in addition to supporting canes and spiral guards that protect the saplings from rabbits and deer. 

A further 450 trees have been donated to CoFarm Cambridge by The Woodland Trust, through its PlanTree initiative with Sofology. Some of these have already been planted within the hedgerow, and more are set be planted around the farm in the coming weeks. 

Hedges: havens for nature

Hedges are vital habitats that provide food and shelter for wildlife and create corridors to help wildlife move around. 

The more diverse in composition a hedgerow is the more insects and species it is likely to support thanks to an increased variety of flowering and fruiting times. CoFarm’s new hedge will be classified as ‘species rich’, according to the UK’s Habit Action Plan, defined as containing an average of five or more native woody species per 30m length. 

The recently planted saplings, which are currently around half a metre in height, will take around three years to reach the desired height of the hedge (around 1.5 metres).

Dominic Walsh, horticultural co-lead at CoFarm Cambridge, said: 'Hedges are massively important for wildlife, giving shelter, nest sites and food. They also serve as beneficial predator and pollinator banks which are so important within small organic farm systems.’

Beyond the benefits they bring to wildlife, hedges act as windbreaks, to protect the hundreds of varieties of flowers and vegetable plants inside the market garden, and help prevent soil erosion. 

Nature-friendly farming

During the planting of the saplings in December, volunteers dipped the young tree roots in a solution containing mycorrhiza, a beneficial type of fungus that grows in association with plant roots. Mycorrhizas take sugars and carbon from the saplings in exchange for water and nutrients they gather from the soil. In this way, the fungi act as extensions to the root system, increasing the saplings’ absorptive area.

The nutrient exchange includes organic compounds such as phosphorous, nitrogen and potassium, but also micronutrients previously locked up in the soil.

Volunteers dipping the tree roots in a mycorrhizal solution

This is just one of the many nature-friendly techniques employed by CoFarm Cambridge since the site does not use chemical fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides. The method negates the need for chemical fertilisers, thanks to the increased absorption power of the roots resulting from the symbiotic relationship formed with the fungi.

Mycorrhiza fungus also protects the trees against root diseases.  

Many more trees are set to be planted at CoFarm Cambridge this year, starting next with a community orchard, which has been generously supported by a grant from Cambridge Water’s Pebble fund. Subscribe to our mailing list below to receive updates.

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Media enquiries: jessica.rowbury@cofarm.co

CoFarm Cambridge increases food security & hits headlines!

We’re delighted that CoFarm Cambridge’s Pete Wrapson and Dom Walsh have been celebrated on the front page of the Cambridge Independent over the past week for their amazing achievements in transforming a bare field into a thriving market garden. The farm donates 100% of its produce to local community food hubs to support people experiencing food insecurity during the pandemic.

You can read the article online here.

COFARM CAMBRIDGE FEATURED BY GUARDIAN FOR COMMUNITY GROWING DURING PANDEMIC

Guardian journalist Mattha Busby approached CoFarm Cambridge for a piece which highlights communities coming together to provide food for those most at need during the pandemic.

We’re delighted that CoFarm Cambridge features so prominently in the piece and flattered to be alongside some amazing community projects all over the UK.

The national exposure has also attracted a number of enquiries about collaboration.

You can read and share the piece here.

Spring haircut!

We all feel better for a bit of a spruce up now and again, and we thought it was about time that the field off Coldhams Common we are going to transform into a community farm had a good haircut!

Over the past couple of years, the site has become quite overgrown with tall thistles and shrubs. To tackle 7-acres of thistles with scythes and loppers would have been quite an undertaking - and taken us well into the nesting season for ground nesting birds - so we contracted the City Council to help with ‘topping’ the thistles with tractor-mounted mowers.

Our intention is to invest in a two-wheeled tractor with different attachments for different jobs on the farm, which should be more than enough from now on to help prepare the land for growing and keep on top the thistles that will, of course, be back. As the project starts to gather some momentum and more people get involved, we will also be able to tackle the weeds together by holding regular work parties - good fun as well as good exercise!

The rest that the field has had over the past couple of years will have done the soil some good, as it hasn’t been disturbed at all. It also hasn’t had any chemical pesticides, herbicides or fertlilisers sprayed on it and this is how we intend to keep it.